Atie's SAFETY PIN BROOCHES (HANDMADE)

Every country has its own local creative handicrafts and the hard working people who run small cottage businesses. And here in Sabah Malaysia it is very much the same situation. The abundance of local raw materials such as wood and bamboo as well as other base materials makes it convenient for locals to produce some of the most beautiful artwork and creative items which tourists find fascinating to take home as souvenirs of their memorable visit to Malaysia!

A good example of creativity is the making of handmade safety pin brooches. This is an art that requires fine skills as well as dedicated hands to produce very attractive and decorative items.

A very good friend Zainal and his beautiful wife Atie has a passion for creative artwork and together they have now set up a nice little cottage business where they produce and sell safety pin brooches which are very popular items for malaysian women. But the market may be larger than what they anticipate as more women become aware of this hand crafted beauty accessory.

So on your next visit to Malaysia and especially Sabah, why not check out the local handicrafts stalls and outlets so you can learn more about the many different handicrafts that are on offer. Zainal and his wife are also very happy to entertain online orders for their beautiful and colorful creations.

If you are already in Sabah,there are also many other handicrafts available at the philippines market along the water front in Kota Kinabalu. So visitors usually stop by and check out the attractive displays of wooden and bamboo crafts as well as enjoy bargaining with the vendors there.

Are you the creative type ?

Here is a way to create beautiful jewelry you can be proud to show your friends !

Personalised Jewelry you can make at home

Trying out the Good Life in Sabah

Many years back there was a very interesting program called The Good Life It was a hilarious but most entertaining TV series (see The Good Life (1971 TV series)and captured the imagination of many city dwellers who wanted to experience the simple lifestyle, a term usually associated with living in the countryside and being self sufficient in many ways.

My own family is very much into the simple things in life and we have decided to put our ideas into action on our little "hobby farm" we now call Eagle Plateau ! Yes you guessed it right ! The journey to being self sufficient and living the good life is not quite the easy path as some would have you believe.. it is tough and often full of frustrating events and situation.. certainly not for some people..

But the rewards are so wonderful and so fulfilling that we have kept on going inspite of all the challenges. And these can be chronic challenges that irritates and discourages you and are designed to make you give up on all your dreams of living the good life !

To all those who are in the same boat, we say.. hang in there and keep at it because the lessons and the skills you will learn from this lifestyle is priceless. We have learned to work with nature in ways we never thought possible before and we have tasted the beautiful and delicious fruits of our labour as we watch our little garden yield fresh avocados, pineapples, mangoes, guavas and so many other fresh tropical fruits.

We grow herbs too.. both for kitchen and healing needs and we are still learning about other herbal plants as we exchange ideas and experiences with likeminded friends from all over.Our dreams for this lifestyle; to be able to create a place for our family in a manner that the land and home will be able to look after us in a natural way without the complicated and crowded system that we so often face in our pursuit of happiness.

Our greatest advantage is our own passion and desire to pursue our dreams of living the good life and sharing it with our family and friends. We try to make our transition to this lifestyle as practical and comfortable as we can without giving up on home comforts ;) So for electric power we use the abundant radiant solar energy from the sun. Our water supply is thankfully available in abundance from our clear spring water source. And we try to use recycled materials as often as we can. Used vehicle tyres are a primary and free material that are readily available and that we use extensively in many situations, from construction use to decorative applications !

The short video clips below was a wonderful series that is still relevant in this ever challenging world of pursuing our dreams. I hope it gives you an insight into great humour and fun as you embark on this journey towards being self sufficient.

Does Life Begin at 40 after all ?

We hope you enjoyed the show ;)

If you are interested in this lifestyle it can really be a lot of fun learning to be self sufficient especially in this modern times. There are many to-do-list before you get started of course but the most obvious is your own desire to pursue your dreams ;) We are always very keen to network with likeminded friends and families who enjoy this lifestyle. So if you are interested please feel free to contact me.

How to get started in the self sufficiency lifestyle.